Joint or other fastening for tram way-rails



(No Model.)

R; VIOL. JOINT 0R OTHER PASTENING FOR TRAMWAY'RAILS.

No. 449,093. Patented Mar. 24,1891.

NITEED STATES `f nrnivr unici-3.

REINHARD VIOL, OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR, BY

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LEVIS & FOVLER GIRDER-RAIL COM- PANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

JOINT OR OTHER FASTENING FOR TRANIWAYFRAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 419,093, dated March 24, 1891. Application iiled January 26. 1891. Serial No,379,l22 (No model.) Patented in Germany July 8,1886,No. 38,854.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, REINHARD VIOL, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Frankfort-on-the-lliain, in the German Empire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Joints or other Fastenings for Tramway-Rails, (patented to me in Germany by Letters Patent No. 38,854, dated July 8, 1886,) of which the following is specification.

This invention relates primarily to means for effecting strong, secure, and sufficiently level joints between tramway-rails of U shape in cross-section, sometimes termed box girder-rails. It is also applicable to fastening down such rails and in part to connectin and fastening down other rails having laterallyprojecting flanges or feet.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations of part-s, as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

The objects of the invention are to securely and rigidly connect or fasten down such rails by means which obvi-ate perforating or notching the rail, and to provide for drawing together the rail and an underlying part by a uniformly-distributed wedging action of great power and efficiency.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this speciiication as part thereof.

Figure l of these drawings represents a vertical cross-section through a boX girder-rail and its fastenings illustrating the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a railjoint so formed. Fig. 3 represents a vertical longitudinal section through such joint, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The rails A are rolled in one piece and formed so as to adapt themselves to the required conditions. They are preferably of the U-shaped or box form represented in the drawings, but this is not considered essential to the present invention, which relates exclusively to the joints and other fastenings of tramway-rails. An essential characteristic of the rails is their provision with lateral flanges or feet a, having bevels ZJ on top, and horizontal or substantially horizontal soles c.

An underlying part B, which may constitute a fish-plate and is primarily designed to perform the function of a fish-plate at the rail-joints, is constructed withlateral flanges or projections d, projecting beneath said lateral flanges a and extending outward to the same or substantially the same vertical planes and having bevels e at bottom matching` the top bevels b of said lateral flanges a. In the u internally-beveled wedging-tlanges adapted to embrace said lateral flanges on the rails A and underlying part B, are applied thereto at the respective sides of the rail, and screwbolts D are passed through bolt-holes in said clamps and in such projection of the underlying part to provide for drawing the clamps toward each other.

NVhen the screw-nuts of the bolts D are applied and tightened, it follows that the clamps C are drawn uniformly toward each other and the underlying part .B and rails A are drawn vertically toward each other by a powerful wedging action developed by the coacting inclines at l) and e. Vedging-keys may obviously be substituted for the screw-nuts of the bolts D. The said inclines at b and e may be wholly on the said lateral flanges or wholly on the wedgingfianges of the hook plates or clamps C, and other like modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described the said improvement, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specilicatiou* l. The combination of a rail or railsA and an underlying part B, having lateral anges ct d, a pair of hook-plates or clamps C, having wedging-Iianges matching said lateral iianges and coacting therewith, and fastening-bolts D, passing through said clamps below the bottom of the rail or rails, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

2. The combination, with the adjoining ends IOO of two rails having lateral flanges beveled on top, of an underlying part in thc forni of a lish-plate having lateral flanges beveled at bottom projecting beneath and outward to the saine or *substantially the saine vertical planes as the rail-flanges, a pair of hook-plates or clamps extending across the joint and having internally-beveled edging-flanges that engage with said lateral fianges at the respective sides of the rails, and bolts passing through said clamps below the bottom of the rails, substantially as hereinbetore specified.

The combination of a rail or rails of U shape in erosssection having lateral flanges or feet at bottoni, an underlying part having REINHARD VIOL.

Witnesses:

FRITZ 13 Usoim,

Anvns'ro S. Hoden. 

